Staying Strong: Strong Enough AU
by Melodramatic.FruitCup
Summary: After her mom dies, Annie Dixon is lost in the foster care system until the Greenes adopt her. Finally in a happy home she loses interest in finding her biological dad. Then the world ends and a group shows up on their doorstep. Annie is faced with something more unbelievable than the dead eating the living-Daryl Dixon. Reading Strong Enough isn't necessary.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: I honestly wasn't planning on posting this story especially since there seemed to be very little interest in it but I'm stuck on Strong Enough at the moment and I'm grasping at anything to help me get writing again. This chapter has been finished for awhile so it was ready to go.**

 **Whether you're a new reader or a returning one, I hope you enjoy.**

Disclaimer: I do not own the Walking Dead.

* * *

 **Chapter One**

Annie stared at the small tv set old enough to have a built in VCR player and she didn't like what she saw. Not only was the United States in chaos but so was the world.

How had this happened? And why the hell didn't anybody know what was causing it? The only new information the anchor wearing a very distracting purple tie had received in the past few hours was reports of more death and destruction. In the bottom right corner there was a number that kept growing, an estimate of how many were infected in North America.

It was steadily reaching 200 million and at the rate it was going it would pass that number by the time the sun set. She felt like she was going to throw up her lunch.

There was a knock on the door before it opened and Maggie stepped into the bedroom. Annie turned around and gave her a grim smile.

"Are Annette and Shawn back yet?" Annie asked.

Maggie shook her head. "No, but they should be soon. I tried calling Shawn an hour ago but it wouldn't go through."

"It's getting worse Maggie. We should go into town and stock up on everything. We should've done that a week ago."

Maggie sat down on the bed next to Annie. "It's that bad? Daddy said there was nothing to worry about."

"There's everything to worry about. I don't think the government is goin' to help us. No one is," Annie said.

"You should take a break from watchin' the news and we can take Mercy and Monty for a ride," Maggie said.

Annie bit her lip, looking between the tv and Maggie, who was using a face that Annie rarely said 'no' to.

Annie sighed "Fine, but only for half an hour. Maybe there'll be somethin' new to hear by then."

Before they went downstairs, Annie went into Shawn's room and grabbed one of his baseball bats.

"What are you doin' with that?" Maggie asked with raised eyebrows.

"Dad won't let us have guns so this will have'ta do," Annie said, taking a practice swing and almost putting a hole in the hallway wall.

"Do for what?" Maggie asked as they walked down the stairs.

"Am I the only one watchin' the news? It's for keepin' crazy people from eating us," Annie said.

"That is definitely a good reason," Maggie said.

The two women were passing by the kitchen when Annie paused. "Patricia, I didn't know you were here. Is that sweet tea and lemonade you're makin'?"

Patricia turned around and smiled at them. "If I didn't know any better I'd say you're happier to see the tea than me."

"It's good thing you know better. Is Otis here?" Annie asked.

"He's with your Dad. They're checking the peach trees," Patricia said. "Me and Otis are stayin' in the guest bedroom. They both think it's safer for now."

This sobered Annie. "Have you seen the news?"

"We're supposed to be getting away from the news," Maggie said, lightly nudging Annie's shoulder with her own.

"I never thought it'd get this bad," Patricia said. "I told Otis he should take a break from volunteering as an EMT."

Annie nodded. "Good. That's smart." She had been one week into her residency in Atlanta when she went back home. Seeing the shitstorm that was coming, Annie wanted to be with her family and felt no shame from abandoning her duty as a doctor. No one had believed her when she told her family that people died before they turned into mindless flesh-eating monsters.

"Come on Annie. Mercy and Monty are waiting," Maggie said, grabbing Annie's lower arm.

"Okay, okay," she said to Maggie and then turned to Patricia. "See you in a bit."

"Have a nice ride," Patricia said.

Annie and Maggie passed Jimmy and Beth, who were sitting on the porch enjoying the day. Jimmy's parents were out of town because his grandma was sick so he was staying at the Greenes with Shawn sharing his bedroom with him.

"Don't get too cozy," Annie said, making them both blush and Maggie laugh.

"You need to quit teasin' them," Maggie said as they walked towards the stables.

"But it's so easy." Annie swung the baseball bat.

"Beth's been complainin' to me."

"Three more times and then I'll stop," Annie said with a grin.

"Make it two," Maggie said.

Annie sighed dramatically. "Fine, two times."

"Pinky promise?" Maggie asked, holding up her hand with all her fingers folded except her little finger.

Annie snorted. "Aren't we too old for that?"

"If it's between you and me, then we're never too old."

Annie shook her head but hooked her little finger with Maggie's.

"Satisfied?" Annie asked.

"Very."

The two of them reached the stables. Maggie went to Mercy's stall and Annie went to Monty's.

"Hey there big fella," Annie said as Monty nuzzled her hand. "Sorry, no apples today."

Monty was a stunning white American Quarter Horse and her 16th birthday present. She had cherished him since the moment she first laid eyes on him. It still astonished her that Hershel had been so generous after only having adopted her two years prior. From the start, he had never treated her less than Maggie and Beth, something she had been extremely suspicious of at the beginning. No one had ever been nice to her unless they wanted something.

Mercy and Monty were soon saddled and the two women mounted them.

"Where to? Your choice," Annie said, pulling on the reins to keep Monty, who was eager to get going, from taking off.

"How about Main Street?"

"If we're goin' into town we should take the car because I'm not wasting a trip there by not getting anything," Annie said.

"Alright, how about the Bells?" Maggie asked, trying to look innocent.

Annie gave an exasperated sigh. "You need'ta stop tryin' to fix me up with Michael. It's not happening."

"But he has a crush on you," Maggie said like that would all of sudden change Annie's mind.

"That you encourage!"

"You'd make cute babies."

"Dear Lord give me strength," Annie said looking up at the sky.

Against her better judgement Annie agreed to go to the Bells. She liked Michael's mom, Francis, who was kind and always seemed to be baking cookies. And if Annie was honest, Michael wasn't so bad. He just wasn't her type which Maggie found hard to believe since the 28-year old man was drop dead gorgeous according to her.

She immediately sensed something was wrong when they rode up to the back of the house. The back door was usually open with the screen door letting fresh air in and keeping the bugs out. All the kitchen curtains were closed too but Francis, who spent a lot of time in the kitchen, loved the view outside and always kept them open.

"Maggie, stay on Mercy," Annie said as she dismounted Monty and tied the reins onto the porch railing.

"Why?" Maggie looked at her, confused.

"Just do as I say. I'm invoking the big sister clause," Annie said, gripping the baseball bat tight with her right hand.

She walked up the porch stairs and knocked on the back door. She had spotted Michael's Ford truck in the front and Francis' beige Honda was there too, meaning both of them should be home. No one answered so she opened the screen door, letting it lean against her side, and checked if the back door was locked. It wasn't, which wasn't strange in and of itself, especially if they were home but Annie had a bad feeling about all of it.

"Maggie, I don't care what you hear but don't you dare come into this house," she said over her shoulder.

"Annie, you're scaring me."

"Just stay outside." Annie used her left hand to open the door and she went into the house.

The kitchen was darker than she was used to but Annie didn't bother to open the curtains or turn the light switch on.

"Mrs. Bell? Michael?" Annie called out as she tentatively walked towards the living room, her heart beginning to pound. They didn't answer and Annie searched the first floor but didn't find them. She stood at the bottom of the stairs and called their names again but louder.

There was a thump upstairs and then a strange scratching noise, which made Annie begin to walk up the stairs. "Are y'all okay? Do you need help?"

She reached the top of the stairs and still no one answered. The scratching noise, which she figured out was coming from a door down the hall, stopped and there was another thump, which was followed by banging. "Mrs. Bell? Michael?"

Annie knew she should cut loose and leave the house but she couldn't stop herself from walking to the shaking door. It was stupid but she had to know.

Her own hand shook a little as she grabbed the door handle and turned it. She gave it a small push and then stood back with her baseball bat raised and ready to swing but the door was pushed closed. Annie tried again but this time she went to fully open the door and found resistance like somebody was blocking it. She used her body weight to open the door.

Growling filled her ears and man's hand shot out of the room, grabbing her hair and pulling it. Her head banged against the door frame and she nearly dropped her bat.

Annie grunted and pulled her head back but whoever was holding onto her wasn't planning to let go. She kept ahold of the bat like it was a lifeline and used her left hand to pry the fingers loose from her hair. To her horror, she heard a crack as one of the fingers broke.

Annie freed herself and stumbled back but quickly recovered, holding the bat up again. The man, or whatever it was, opened the door and lunged at her. She didn't let the shock of seeing Michael slow her down. She swung the bat and hit him in on the side of his head, which made him stumble sideways but other than that he was unfazed.

She had never seen one in person. The senior staff hadn't let the interns anywhere near the living dead but they did tell them they needed to damage the brain to kill them.

Annie ran for the stairs and Michael followed her. She made it to the bottom and shouldn't have stopped to look back but she did. Michael reached the stairs and instead of walking down them, he fell. She moved out of the way and watched as Michael, with a snapped neck, started to stand up. Before he could, Annie swung again, making contact with the bottom of his chin. His neck broke even more and he was nearly headless but still, he kept going.

The bat smashed down on his head over and over until he stopped moving. Her bat was covered in blood and she was splattered with it.

There was more growling and Annie looked up to see Francis appear in the hallway upstairs. Annie turned and ran for the kitchen, hearing a body tumble down the stairs. She burst out of the house, making Monty give a nervous whinny.

"Oh my God. What happened?"

Instead of answering Maggie, she untied the reins and jumped onto Monty. "Let's go."

Annie took off and Maggie followed. When Annie felt they were far enough away from the Bells', she slowed down.

"What happened?" Maggie asked.

"They're dead."

Maggie's eyes widened. "How?"

"I don't know," Annie said. "Remember when I told y'all that those people eating people died before they became like that?"

"Yeah."

"Michael and Francis died and came back." Annie took a steadying breath.

"Whose blood is that?" Maggie asked quietly.

"Michael tried to eat me. I didn't have a choice. I had to put him down."

"You killed him?"

"You aren't listening. He was already dead. Michael wasn't a person anymore. It's the brain. You gotta get the brain or it'll keep goin'."

There was a long pause where Maggie seemed to be taking it all in. Annie worried that her sister would think she was a crazy murderer.

"I believe you," Maggie finally said. "We should get you cleaned up at the creek. We can't get your clothes but you have blood on your face."

When they got home Maggie offered to take care of Monty. Annie rushed back to the house, up the stairs, and into her room before anyone could see her. She stripped off her shirt and jeans. Her jeans were salvageable but her white shirt wasn't. She hid it under her bed to throw away later.

Annie quickly dressed, added her jeans to the rest of her dirty clothes and grabbed the hamper, deciding to do her laundry.

Patricia walked into the laundry room right when Annie had finished putting her clothes in the washing machine.

"You two are back early," Patricia said.

Annie shut the washer's door and shrugged, trying to act normal and hoping she was succeeding. "I got a headache. Too much sun, maybe."

"Is it one of your migraines? Can I get you anything?"

"No, I'm good. An aspirin and a cold glass of water should fix it."

"Okay, but I'm lettin' you off the hook for helping with dinner."

Annie gave her a grateful smile. "Thanks Patricia."

She turned the washer on and went back to her room. To keep her mind off of the Bells, she flipped through the tv channels but only static met her. It was the same with the radio, only a few frequencies were broadcasting and it was only emergency messages telling them to stay home and avoid people. Help would be coming soon. What a load of crap.

Annie turned off the radio and let out a frustrated sigh. It worried her that Annette and Shawn still weren't home and it was almost dinner.

Her bedroom door was open so Maggie walked right in, closed it, and sat next to Annie who was on her bed. She knew why Maggie was there.

"We can't tell Dad what happened to the Bells. He won't understand," Annie said.

"Shouldn't he know they're dead? He's been friends with Francis since before we were born. We spent time with Michael during the summers. And aren't we supposed to at least tell the police?" Maggie sounded like she was still trying to cling to normal when the world wasn't like that anymore.

"The police have worse things to worry about, that is if they're still operating. And even if they are, it's not like we can call them anymore. The landline is dead now too."

Maggie sighed. "Okay, so we won't tell Daddy."

"Or anyone else," Annie added. Maggie nodded and leaned her head on Annie's shoulder. They sat like that until they were called for dinner a few minutes later.

The table was set for nine but only seven of them were there. Nobody moved to put food on their plates.

"Maybe we should wait a little longer," Beth said, her face betraying how worried she was. They all were but everyone was hiding it better than the youngest of them.

"I don't think they'd mind if we started without them," Patricia said, sending a soothing smile at the blonde teenager.

"She's right. They won't mind," Hershel said.

Still, no one reached for the food.

"I can try calling Shawn again," Maggie offered.

"It won't work," Annie said and she felt Maggie kick her under the table. Annie shrugged her shoulders at her. "Wait, do y'all hear that?"

"Hear what?" Maggie asked.

"It's a car." As soon as Annie said there was honking. Everyone shot up from the table and headed to the front door.

Maggie and Annie were in the lead and by the time they reached the front door they heard Shawn yelling.

"Dad! Annie!"

Maggie opened the door and Shawn was practically carrying Annette to the porch and up its stairs. Annie saw Annette's arm covered in blood and her demeanor shifted. She wasn't a farmer's daughter anymore, she was a doctor.

"Maggie, get my kits," Annie said. At the same time Hershel told Patricia to get his own.

Maggie and Patricia took off and the rest of them moved aside to let Shawn and Annette into the house.

Annie turned to Beth who looked like she was about to cry and she knew her youngest sister needed to do something so she wouldn't break down. "Beth, clear the table. Jimmy, you help her."

Otis started helping Shawn with Annette and they were leading her to the living room.

"No, I'll stain the upholstery," Annette said and Annie was worried at how weak her voice was.

"Don't worry about the sofa Mom," Shawn said.

"It doesn't matter," Annie said. "The light's better in the dining room."

The trio changed directions and Annie went ahead of them. When she entered the dining room she saw that half the table had been cleared and Beth and Jimmy quickly working on the other half.

Annie pulled a chair out and put the back of it against the table. "Set her here."

While the two men helped Annette onto the chair, Maggie and Patricia entered the room carrying Annie and Hershel's kits. Annie nodded at the two before going into the kitchen to wash her hands. Hershel was already at the sink rinsing his forearms.

"How is she?" Hershel asked, stepping aside and grabbing a clean dish towel to dry himself off.

"I don't know. I didn't get a look at it yet," Annie said, turning on the hot water and pouring a generous amount of soap into her hand. "Go see her."

Hershel left and Patricia came into the kitchen with a metal basin. "Shawn says a man bit her."

Annie's blood ran cold. She scrubbed faster. "Bit her? Did he say what the man looked like?"

"No, but they were at the gas station fillin' up and Shawn says a man came up behind her and attacked her. He said he almost couldn't get him off of her," Patricia said as Annie moved aside so she could fill the basin with water.

"Where were they? They should've been back hours ago." Annie dried her hands.

"Shawn said they went to the hospital."

"He should've brought her straight home." Annie threw the dish towel on the counter and left for the dining room.

Hershel was sitting on a chair in front if Annette and had already cut her dress away from her shoulder. Annie's forehead furrowed when she saw the bite. Blood pooled in the deep teeth marks. Skin was torn, the edges jagged. A small piece of her shoulder was missing, the size of a half dollar coin.

Someone had already opened the bag that held her trauma kit and set out a few items. She grabbed a pair of sterile gloves and pulled them on with a snap. Annie went to Annette's side and took a closer look at the bite.

"The bleeding's slowed down," Hershel said.

"She's lost a lot," Shawn said from across the table, standing with jittery legs and crossed arms.

Patricia came in with the metal basin full of water and Beth followed behind her with a pile of towels of varying sizes. Hershel made quick work of cleaning the wound, Patricia taking away the bloody towels and gauze while Annie handed him clean ones.

"How are you feelin'?" Annie asked.

"I could be better sweetheart," Annette said with an attempted smile but it was interrupted by a hiss of pain. Annie bit her lip and to confirm a suspicion she pressed her hand against the woman's forehead.

"You're burning up," Annie said, her heart dropping. The symptoms were clear. Annette had been bitten by a dead man and the infection had already set in.

* * *

"You can't do this!" Annie yelled. She and Hershel were standing in the middle of the living room. Maggie and Shawn were hovering at the archway. Annie didn't know where everyone else was.

"There's no need to shout," Hershel said in a stern voice.

"There is 'cause I don't think you understand. This ain't right. She's dead and she should be put to rest."

Hershel shook his head. "You're not going to kill her."

"She's already dead. She's not Annette anymore. She's not Mom," Annie said. This made Hershel pause. It was the first time Annie had called Annette 'mom'. Having a few memories of her real mom had made it so it didn't feel right to Annie to call anyone else her mom and Annette accepted this without offense. With Hershel she had easily slipped into calling him her dad. "She nearly took a chunk out of Shawn. Her heart stopped for three hours."

"She's still herself. She's only sick and we're going to wait for a cure," Hershel said with so much confidence in his voice Annie knew she wouldn't win this fight but she still had to try.

"I don't think a cure is comin'."

"I have faith that it will," Hershel said.

"You heard what Shawn said about the hospital." Annie gestured towards Shawn. "It was chaos and now it's overrun with the dead. Doctors were killin' people with bites. If anyone would know there was a cure comin' it'd be them."

"That is their mistake. The phones were down, somebody could've been trying to reach them and tell them a cure was being made. We'll keep her in the barn until it is. She'll be safe there and she won't be able to hurt us."

Annie wanted to scream. "This is cruel. I won't have any part of it."

She stormed out of the room, brushing past Maggie and Shawn, and went upstairs to her bedroom. It was late and they were all tired. She fell into bed fully clothed and stared at the ceiling, her mind wouldn't shut off but after a couple of hours she finally fell asleep.

The next morning Annie knew she had slept in by the way the light was coming in through her window. She blinked and the image of Michael's crushed skull and her bloody bat affronted her. She shuddered as she got out of bed forcing those images out of her head only to be replaced by a dead Annette struggling against the snare pole around her neck as Otis led her out of the house towards the barn.

Annie only bothered to throw a new shirt on before going downstairs. She reached the kitchen where the smell of breakfast lingered in the air. Patricia and Beth were washing the dishes.

"I can make you some bacon and eggs real quick," Patricia said.

Annie shook her head. "I'm not hungry."

"You don't look so good," Beth said, drying a plate.

"Thanks Beth," Annie said. She studied her youngest sister and didn't like what she saw. Beth looked fine, too fine for having her mother die last night. "Are you okay?" Annie asked her.

Beth smiled. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"What's Dad been tellin' you about Mom?" Annie asked.

"She's stayin' in the barn where she'll be safe while we wait for a cure," Beth said.

Annie groaned. She was about to tell Beth the reality of the situation, not the fantasy their Dad was feeding her, when Patricia caught her eye. The blonde woman shook her head and Annie sighed. "Where's Maggie?"

"Mucking out the stable," Patricia said.

When Annie left for the stable, Patricia followed her to the porch. "What was that all about?" Annie asked.

"Hershel told me to stop you from tellin' Beth your theories about Annette."

"My theories? Unbelievable. Does anybody around here remember I went to med school?" Annie huffed. "Are you goin' along with it as well?"

"I don't know what to think, but if there's a chance your father is right I don't see the harm in keeping Annette in the barn."

Annie began to pace. "The harm is that Beth still thinks Mom can come back to life and everything can be like it was."

"I see your point but it's not my place to say anything," Patricia said, looking torn. "Are you going to tell her?"

Annie wanted to curse but she knew Patricia wouldn't tolerate it. "Not until I convince Dad he's wrong. There'll be a civil war in this house if I tell Beth before I get

him to see sense."

"That seems like the best thing you can do," Patricia said but Annie knew it wasn't.

"I hate this," Annie said to herself she went down the porch stairs.

When she entered the stable she found Maggie in Nellie's stall, a wheelbarrow nearly full of horse manure right outside of it.

"Need any help?" Annie asked.

Maggie stood up and took a step out of the stall. "This is the last one, Sleeping Beauty."

"If you value your life, you'll never call me that again." Annie grinned.

Maggie laughed and wiped sweat from her brow with her arm. "The chicken coop is next."

"Ah, nothin' like cleaning up bird shit in the morning."

Maggie snorted. "If only Daddy knew how foul your mouth is when he's not around."

"Hey, I rein in it for family and family friends."

"But not me and Shawn?" Maggie asked from back inside the stall.

"You two are special," Annie said. "Y'all could care less how I express myself."

"What a bunch of bull," Maggie said, coming out of the stall again and setting aside her pitchfork.

"I believe the correct term is 'bullshit'. I should know. I'm a doctor." Annie had to dodge a work glove Maggie threw at her.

She helped Maggie finish the stall and after stopping by the house for a drink of water, they headed to the chicken coop.

"How are you doing?" Annie asked.

"I don't know. It doesn't feel real. I'm still expectin' her to walk by and ask us what we want for lunch."

"She's gone. You know that, right?"

"But she's still walking around. She's tryin' to eat. Would something dead do that?"

"I think whatever's infected her is alive and tryin' to keep its host alive. The dead must have some lower brain function to do what they can do. Somehow it makes the brain come back to life after the person dies. Or it could be it somehow keeps the brain alive while the rest of the body dies." Annie sighed. "It's all guessin' on my part but what I know for sure is that Mom is gone. She died and something else came back."

* * *

 **A/N: Please, please let me know what you think. It would mean a lot and feedback always helps fuel me a little to keep on writing. At the moment I don't have any other finished chapters for this story and I can't promise you on how often I can update this but hopefully you'll stick around if you like it.**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Thank you for the follows and the favorites. Thank you to Shockra,** **osarisanhur, Bluebirdg12, and ninachr for the reviews! They've helped keep me going.**

 **I don't know if you've noticed but I've added a Rick/OC pairing to the story. It's something I've planned from the beginning and I debated a long time whether to tack that onto this story or not.**

 **I hope this doesn't deter anyone from continuing to read and if you're reading this because it's a Rick/OC, I want to warn you that this isn't the main focus of this story. It will happen eventually and it does become a big part of the story but it isn't the end all, be all of this fanfic. This story is about Annie and Rick just happens to be a part of it.**

 **With that said, I hope you enjoy this chapter. I appreciate you for reading.**

Disclaimer: I do not own the Walking Dead.

* * *

 **Chapter Two**

It had been over two weeks since Annette died and the world as they knew it died along with her. Over two weeks too long for Annie to act like nothing was wrong. She fought tooth and nail with Hershel to convince him it was a good idea to stock up on supplies.

He still considered it stealing and Annie almost threw a full glass of water at the kitchen wall when he said they didn't have to become criminals to survive. It was finally the sign at the pharmacy that welcomed people to take what they needed that convinced Hershel to let them go but Annie would've gone regardless and damn the consequences.

Annie was standing behind the pharmacy counter, her duffel bag nearly full to bursting yet she continued to stuff pill bottles into it.

"Dad told us to only take what we need," Shawn said from the other side of the counter, his own bag moderately filled with necessities.

"Who says I'm not doin' that?" Annie asked.

"We don't need _all_ the antibiotics and painkillers," Shawn said, uncertainty lacing his voice.

"Yes we do. It's called being prepared. Weren't you a boy scout?"

"For like a day." Maggie snorted, picking through the shelves of the nearest aisle.

"Two months," Shawn corrected.

"Ah yes. And then you got kicked out. What for again?" Annie asked, her tone innocent but her smile far from it.

"You know what for," Shawn said, his neck flushing a deep red.

"Oh yeah. That prank you pulled with a snake," Annie said while reading a label on a pill bottle, trying to decide if it should go in the bag.

"Can we please stop talkin' about it?" Shawn asked.

Annie put the pill bottle back on the shelf. "Fine, fine. Make yourself useful and fill up that bag of yours until you can barely close it."

Shawn and Maggie moved on to other parts of the store and the three siblings looted in silence.

She heard the soft growling first but before she could register what was making the sound, hands were grabbing at her from in between the shelves. Annie yelped in surprise and dropped the pill bottle that had had her so engrossed she hadn't noticed a dead one sneaking up on her. She jumped back, out of reach, and bumped into the shelves behind her, making them sway.

The dead one wasn't dissuaded and lunged forward, ramming its body into the row of shelves. The entire shelving unit tipped towards her, pill bottles sliding forward. Annie pushed back and the shelves began falling in the opposite direction but the dead one latched onto her right arm. Only twice before in her life had Annie experienced something in slow motion.

She was grateful for it because it gave her time to think while she was pulled down as the shelves fell on top of the dead one. Annie braced herself. Having no way to break her fall, her body slammed onto the shelves, each one digging into her. It took her breath away and she could already feel the bruises forming.

While the fall had jolted her, it hadn't fazed the dead one. Her arm was still in its cold, surprisingly strong grasp.

Annie was aware that Shawn and Maggie were yelling but she couldn't make out what they were saying. The noise seemed to rile up the dead one even more and Annie was inclined to tell them to shut up but that would take a few precious seconds of concentration she couldn't give up.

She tried to yank her arm away but the dead one was well determined to eat her. The whole situation became even more frightening when she remembered that scratches were as lethal as bites and she thanked the Lord that the dead one's other arm was pinned down by the shelves.

Deciding to be more careful, Annie stopped yanking her arm and assessed the situation. The dead one, formerly a man who she faintly recognized, had what she considered the average size hands of a man which meant they were big enough to completely wrap around the part of her arm a little ways down from her wrist. The dead one had the advantage of gravity as it pulled downward.

Annie was by no means weak. She may be small but she was strong and although the position her body was in did not work in her favor, she had every confidence that she would win this fight. All she had to do was keep her arm away from its teeth while she grabbed her hunting knife out of its sheath she had attached to her belt.

She had made sure all three of them were equipped with a knife, not trusting baseball bats to be sufficient protection. Hershel had looked disapprovingly at the knives but didn't say anything about it, which Annie was grateful for. It would've meant another loud disagreement and she was sick of fighting with her dad.

Annie had to use her left hand, which was a small disadvantage since she was right handed, but she got the job done without a problem. She came to the quick conclusion that she wouldn't be able to effectively stab the dead one in the head from the position she was in.

Instead, she pressed the knife on the underside of the dead one's wrist and sliced through the muscle, down to the bone. Its grip weakened considerably and Annie pulled her arm out of reach.

Warm, living hands grabbed her, hauling her up and away. Annie was able to stand on her own two feet by herself, happy to find that she wasn't shaking. Not a single tremor manifested, not even in the hand that still held the knife, now with a little blood on it and a tiny bit of skin.

Maggie wrapped her into a tight hug. Her younger sister was crying and she looked over at Shawn to find him pale and shaken. The dead one continued to growl and snap its teeth, even more incensed now that three of them were in its sight.

Annie wriggled out of the hug. "We need to check for more," she said and Maggie's eyes widened. Annie figured it hadn't occurred to her sister that there might be another one hanging around.

Unceremoniously Annie went back to the dead one, crouched down and shoved her knife into its eye socket. Instantly, the dead one went limp. She stood up and looked at her siblings. They both looked shocked but neither of them said anything.

Shawn picked his baseball bat up off the pharmacy counter and went to the open door to the room the dead one must have been hiding in. Annie thought the noise would have drawn the dead out if there were more but she didn't want to take the chance of not clearing the place like they should have done to begin with. How could she have been so stupid?

She walked towards Shawn, pulling a small flashlight out of her pocket. Annie stood next to him and shined the light into the room. The tension in her brother's shoulders left but Annie shook her head. "We're not done."

They checked the rest of the small building and found no one, living or dead.

Both Maggie and Shawn looked like they wanted to go home but Annie insisted they finish. Going through the pills was more difficult now and less efficient but Annie managed to do it. After they were done with the pharmacy she convinced her two very reluctant siblings that they needed to hit the hunting store too.

This time Annie made sure there was nothing lurking in the store.

Conversation between them was next to nonexistent and mostly consisted of Annie telling them what to take. She found an avalanche of boots in the back and some stale donuts. She searched behind the counter, opening every drawer and cabinet door.

"Hey, look at this." Annie stood up and showed off a compound bow. It looked like it had the works and even though Annie knew very little about compound bows, she could appreciate the obvious quality. It must've been expensive.

"Too bad none of us can shoot," Shawn said.

"Yeah, too bad," Annie said.

"But what about camp? Weren't you good at it?" Maggie asked.

The sisters had gone to summer camp one year and, although horseback riding had taken most of her attention, archery had been one of the activities that had fascinated her. The teachers had said she was a natural but the camp used traditional bows. "I never shot one of these."

"You think you could try?" Shawn asked.

"Yeah but I'm not gonna. I can't shoot to save my life with this thing," Annie said and Shawn shrugged. She decided to take it with her anyways and neither Maggie or Shawn questioned it.

Annie had driven into town, but now sore and bruised she handed the keys to Maggie. The ride back home was somber, each of them deep in thought. It could've been worse, much worse and the experience reinforced Annie's resolve to make her dad see the truth of the world's new nature. She wasn't exactly sure how she was going to do it but she knew it was going to happen. The sooner, the better.

They arrived at the farm and Maggie put the car into park close to the house.

"I'm glad you're not bit," Shawn said and it occurred to Annie how utterly terrifying it must have been for her brother to see another family member attacked and him being unable to help.

"Don't be too hard on yourself," Annie told him.

"What are you goin' to tell Dad?" Maggie asked, turning off the car.

"I don't know." Annie thought about the different ways she could tell Hershel what had happened but none of the scenarios ended well. "I just don't know."

They got out of the car and milled around by it. None of them had the will to unload and unpack their new supplies. Right there and then, the task seemed too big and overwhelming.

Patricia came out of the house and down the porch stairs. She took one look at the trio and worry took over her face. "What happened?"

Maggie and Shawn looked to Annie. "You really don't wanna know."

Patricia put her hands on her hips. "Marianne, you tell me right this instant what happened."

Annie closed her eyes and sighed, willing herself to stay calm. Being cranky would do her no good. She opened her eyes when she was sure she had herself under control. "I got attacked at the pharmacy by a dead one."

Patricia inhaled sharply. Annie could see the older woman looking her over. "You're not hurt?"

"Bruised up real good. That's all."

"You should tell your father," Patricia said.

"He'll just get mad that I killed it." Annie scowled at the thought.

"It was self-defense," Patricia said. "He'll understand."

"I'm not so sure about that anymore. I gotta get cleaned up before anyone else sees me. If you'll excuse me," Annie said, ending the conversation.

She went to her room, grabbed clean clothes, and took a quick, cold shower. A hot one would've been better but she wanted to conserve what gas they had for the generator. It wouldn't last forever. Although, there were the other farms that probably had gas to scavenge. She added that to the growing list of things she had to do. Just thinking about the list exhausted her.

She felt the burden of caring for her family weigh heavy on her. A burden she should be sharing with Hershel. He did keep the farm running but he was in the mindset that a cure was coming and the world would right itself. Otis and Patricia, although she had her doubts, went along with it meaning Beth and Jimmy followed. At least Maggie and Shawn were well on their way of giving up every bit of their denial still left over from the beginning. They were seeing the light. They were squinting but at least they were seeing it.

* * *

The next day was as ordinary as it could get with how things were now. Annie was up at the time she usually was and after breakfast she headed out to the perimeter of the farm to check the fences. She spotted Otis making his way to the creek and frowned. The dead had a habit of getting stuck in the water. It didn't happen too often but having one, let alone several, of the dead loose near the farm worried Annie. And then there was the growing number that shambled around inside the barn.

Annie rode Monty along the fence line scanning for any weakness no matter how small. The breech she found could be spotted from a mile away, or at least it seemed like it to her.

She cursed under her breath. The culprit was an old stretch of fence long past due to be replaced. Before the dead roamed the Earth, it had been low on their list of improvements since this particular fence didn't directly corral their cattle.

It was a repair job that needed to be done as soon as possible. They had the wood to do it so that wouldn't be a problem and she'd conscript Shawn and Jimmy to help. Under normal circumstances it was a one-person job but they needed the extra eyes, ears, and weapons in case a dead one attacked, especially since the fence was so close to the woods.

Annie inspected the rest of the fences, finding two more spots she wanted to reinforce, and much to Monty's delight she galloped most of the way back to the stables.

Jimmy was excited about the new chore, something to break the monotony of his regular ones, but Shawn took a more serious approach to the matter and was all business. They gathered the supplies in the back of the old pickup. Annie drove, Shawn was in the passenger seat and Jimmy sat in the truck bed.

It was a short, bumpy ride to the hole in the fence and when they arrived they wasted no time in starting the repairs.

They worked in silence and were well on their way to being finished when a dead one stepped out from the trees about twenty yards to the right of them. It was a woman Annie didn't recognize.

"I'll get it," she said as she climbed over the fence.

"You're gonna kill it?" Jimmy asked.

"Got a problem with that?" Annie asked, keeping her eyes on the woman. Her voice left no room for argument and Jimmy didn't answer her. Shawn remained silent on the matter and continued to hammer in a nail.

Annie found that she was good at killing dead ones. The self-defense classes she had taken over the years had a hand in that so she dispatched the woman in no time at all and as the body hit the ground Jimmy began yelling.

She whipped around and spotted Jimmy by the tree line, struggling with a dead one. What the hell was he doing there? Shawn ran to his aid with nothing but a hammer in his hand.

"Your knife!" she yelled at both of them as she began to run to help them.

Jimmy was on the ground with the dead one on top of him when Shawn bashed its skull in. It dropped on top of Jimmy, motionless.

Relief washed over them and Annie slowed down to a jog. This turned out to be a big mistake. Another dead one launched itself from the bushes behind Shawn and he screamed as it bit his neck.

Annie ran as fast as she could. Jimmy was of no help, still trying to push the finally dead dead one off of him. When she reached Shawn, it was far too late. Annie concentrated all her rage as she shoved her knife into the dead one's head. She kicked it so it fell to the ground away from them. Its mouth was bloody and a chunk of Shawn's flesh was hanging out of it.

The next couple of minutes were a blur. Annie managed to get a panic-stricken Jimmy to help her carry Shawn to the truck bed. She situated herself beside him as Jimmy rushed to the driver's seat. They were off in a flash but Annie knew it was hopeless.

The pressure she put on his wound wasn't enough. The blood kept flowing and her hands were slick with it. It was no use but she couldn't stop helping him until the very end. She watched the light in Shawn's eyes snuff out.

Annie took her hands away and didn't know where to put them without getting anything bloody so she held them out in front of her. It occurred to her that she could wipe her hands on Shawn's shirt but that felt too disrespectful.

He would come back but he would never be Shawn again. Annie reached for her knife that was always strapped to her belt, planning to release Shawn from an awful fate, but stopped herself. She knew Beth would never forgive her if she gave Shawn his second death so however much she hated it, she would let Otis take him to the barn without a fight.

As if they had somehow sensed something terrible had happened, Maggie, Beth, and Patricia were gathered on the porch watching the truck tear towards the house. Annie's body jerked when Jimmy slammed on the brake and she almost fell on top of Shawn's body.

She wondered what it looked like to them. Could they see the blood? Her face must have betrayed something because Beth's own face crumpled. Patricia put a hand to her chest but quickly composed herself and strode towards the truck. Maggie, a few tears already on her face, made sure Beth was okay to stand by herself before following Patricia.

Patricia and Maggie looked in the truck bed at Shawn's lifeless body.

"He's gone," Annie said unnecessarily.

Maggie choked back a sob but she wasn't successful at stopping the next one. Annie hated to see her sisters cry and wished that she could comfort them but she was in no shape to comfort anyone, not even herself.

"Let's get you cleaned up," Patricia said, gently coaxing Annie out of the truck bed.

Once her feet were on the ground, Patricia steered her inside the house. All the while Annie held her bloody hands in front of her.

The sky was beautiful, with fluffy white clouds that looked like the cotton candy she and Shawn would share at the fair. One time he ate so much he threw up and it came out sky blue. Annie had laughed so hard she had nearly fallen to the ground and enjoyed telling him 'I told you so' as she drove him home, not even mad they left early and missed riding the Ferris wheel.

"Where's Dad?" Annie asked as they passed a crying Beth on the porch who Maggie enveloped in a hug.

"Out with Otis checkin' on the cattle," Patricia said.

They entered the house and Patricia led her to the kitchen. Annie was parked in front of the sink and Patricia turned the water on.

"What do you want?" Patricia asked as Annie began to scrub her hands and forearms with dish soap.

"Do we have any strawberries?"

"I believe we do." Patricia opened the refrigerator. "Do you want whip cream? We have some left too."

Annie didn't even have to think about. "Yes please." At least her manners were intact. She didn't know what else was at the moment.

She kept scrubbing even after the blood had washed away and Patricia had to pull her away from the sink. Annie took the dish towel the older woman offered and dried herself, a little embarrassed that Patricia had needed to intervene.

"Go on up to your room and get changed into something comfortable." Patricia gestured in the general direction of the stairs. "I'll bring a tray up."

Annie nodded but then an alarm went off inside her head. "We gotta secure Shawn. He'll be up any minute now."

"Go to your room," Particia said sternly. "I'll take care of it."

"But—"

"Let me do this for you, honey. Don't worry about a thing right now."

It didn't feel right but Annie listened to Patricia and reluctantly dragged herself towards her room. Halfway up the stairs she sat down on a step and stretched her legs out in front of her. She was still sore from yesterday and she focused on the dull aches, thinking she was lucky not to have bruised a rib.

Annie counted to ten and then stood up, making the rest of her way to her room where she changed into shorts and a t-shirt before slumping onto her bed. She had forgot to make it this morning but someone had come in and did it for her. It had probably been Beth. Poor Beth, who had woken up this morning thinking that it'd be an ordinary day where nothing remarkable or bad would happen. Everything would be as it should be and they'd all sit down for dinner, maybe not all of them happy but at least all of them healthy and most importantly, alive.

There were no tears to be had from Annie. She briefly wondered what this said about her character but dismissed her musings. Anger overwhelmed her grief and the urge to cry. She felt all dried up and wanted to scream instead but there was no one to yell at or blame. She could only curse whoever was responsible for the dead ones and hope that they had got what was coming to them. She didn't even feel bad about wishing someone ill will. Annie's faith was always a little shaky and she hadn't been a very good Christian lately.

Her bleak thoughts were interrupted by a knock on her door. Annie got up and opened it, figuring it was Patricia, who would have her hands full, and she was right. Annie felt guilty and a little pathetic that she'd let Patricia bring her up a tray when she wasn't even sick.

"Is he?" Annie began to ask.

"Your father and Otis are back. They're takin' him to the barn," she said as she set the tray in the middle of Annie's bed.

Annie's jaw tightened and she had a flash of regret that she hadn't ended Shawn's life for good but then she pictured Beth's crying face and remembered why she hadn't in the first place. She didn't have anything to say and sat back down on her bed cross-legged, pulling the tray closer to her.

Annie wasn't particularly hungry. She wasn't sure why she had asked for strawberries. It was the first thing that had popped into her head when Patricia asked her what she wanted. There had to be some significance, right? Or maybe it meant nothing at all. She had been through a trauma and people didn't always make sense after one.

"I know you don't like it but I think it's the best thing to do for now," Patricia said, breaking the silence and Annie's train of thought. It wasn't the best thing to do. Annie held back from lashing out. The best thing was to put Shawn and Annette to rest and tell Beth that Hershel was wrong about the cure.

"Your father wants to talk to you," Patricia said when it was clear Annie wasn't going to respond to her.

"He doesn't want to talk, he wants to lecture." Annie poked at a strawberry, feeling it would be rude to eat one right that moment.

"He loves you."

"I know." Annie looked up at Patricia. "But sometimes that isn't enough."

Patricia left without another word but she had given Annie a long, sad look. Annie knew she was being selfish. She shouldn't be in her room but that's where she was going to stay.

Annie didn't feel like being the big sister. In fact, she needed one herself. Better yet, a parent. But Hershel, despite his good intentions and love, wouldn't be what Annie needed in this situation.

She dipped a strawberry in whipped cream and took a bite without savoring it. There was little comfort in it but she didn't stop. Annie put her entire focus into eating the whole bowl of strawberries but when she was done her dark thoughts came back with a vengeance. Annie wished it had been Jimmy that was bit and when this crossed her mind she was horrified with herself.

She shoved the tray away from her and noticed her hands. Her fingers were stained red and her stomach turned. Strawberries hadn't been such a good idea after all.

* * *

 **A/N: I hope this chapter wasn't disappointing. Annie and Daryl meet next chapter. I promise! I already have roughly half of chapter three planned out but no timeline of when it'll be finished.**

 **If you want to review but you feel like your English isn't good enough, feel free to review in whatever language you're comfortable with. I can always Google translate it.**

 **And please review if you can. It means the world when I get one and they help probably more than you realize.**


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